Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Connected ❯ What is and is not ( Chapter 5 )

The profitable ones belong to Square Enix

 

 

So I thought I had to let you know
Find someone you can call your own
Cause now you're walkin' in the danger zone
And if I touch you I'll be wrong
If you mess with my man, I'ma be the one to break it to ya…

Don't mess with my man - Nivea f. Jagged Edge

 

 

An hour later Jace sat at her desk, looking blearily at her computer screen. She wasn't really seeing it, but she figured just laying her head down and going to sleep on the keyboard would be a bit obvious. Her earlier adrenaline rush had worn off ages ago, and she felt like she had been ridden hard and put away wet. She had downed more than the recommended number of painkillers and currently cradled her fourth cup of tea. People kept wandering slowly by her desk, but Jace lacked the will or the energy to make eye contact. That was probably for the best, since the last thing she wanted was to have to carry on an inane conversation with some office gossip looking for some dirt to spread.

 

As if the physical pain wasn't enough, she was starting to remember the night before. The drinking, the dirty dancing, the cab ride back to her place and the making of pancakes surfaced slowly, less memories then little fuzzy home movies. Jace watched herself almost set fire to the kitchen trying to cook. She wasn't the one getting her head shaved; it was some other girl who looked like her; some girl who giggled like a maniac the entire time.

 

As the odd little vignettes of the night played in her private movie theatre, Jace was struck with the realization of just what the hell had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She'd gotten eight shades of drunk and had, in full sight of her gossip loving co-workers, gone home with the Reno and Rude. Somehow, instead of being used as a sex toy, she had been fed pancakes and had her head shaved, then she'd been put to bed naked. This morning she had wheedled a ride out of them and then walked through the main lobby of her workplace in her pajamas with Reno and Rude of the bloody Turks, thus ensuring that the entire company would know or guess that she had spent the night with them and they found her worthy of escort. To top it off, she had attempted to cuddle Rude and gotten into an insult match with Reno in front of her boss, the head of the Turks and Rufus Shinra. Jace groaned and dropped her head to her desk.

 

“Oh come on,” Rourke's jovial voice felt like a punch directly to the brain and Jace slowly lifted her head to shoot him a distinctly unfriendly look. Her supervisor stood next to her desk wearing a slightly smug smile and looking fresh as a daisy. Jace struggled between making a witty comeback and just laying her head back down on the desk while praying for death. Rourke's smile grew as she made the choice and her head slowly descended.

 

“How did it go last night?” he asked, leaning down so that they were eye to eye. “I see you're still in one piece.” His gaze flicked to the hood that still obscured her recently denuded scalp. “Well, more or less. Come on, we're all dying to know…” He made a mock-sympathetic noise as her head slowly connected with the desk. “Well Jace, I'm very curious, but I'll wait until you don't look like death warmed over. I can imagine how last night would push you to your limit. Feel better soon, hon.” Jace just moaned and pulled her hood further over her face. Yep. If Rourke is asking about it, this was definitely the news of the hour. Can ritualistic suicide be done with a stapler?

 

An hour later she received a call from Reeve's secretary. Would she be kind enough to join Reeve in his office at her earliest convenience? Jace wondered why the secretary bothered to phrase it as a request. Reeve was probably about to give her the lecture of her life. That was the downside of having a boss who treated his employees not unlike children sometimes… lectures that managed to bore and shame you at the same time. Jacinta had never gotten one individually before, but she'd been there when he came down on her department like a ton of very earnest bricks.

 

The whole thing was mortifying really. She'd acted like a lunatic in front of some of the most powerful people in the world, and was now being summoned to Reeve's office like a naughty child. That's only fair Jace thought wearily. Ah well. It isn't like I've never had to play the repentant daughter before. It's sweet, really. It had been years since she'd had anyone to give her that frown that only fathers and older brothers could manage. A sniffle took Jace by surprise. She covered it up with a cough and pushed back the memories. Stupid emotions.

 

She left her desk and headed to the bathroom, intent on splashing her face with some cold water. After drying her face, she looked at herself in the mirror and turned her head from side to side. Bald worked for her, which was a relief. Nothing like finding out your head looks like a yam with chocobopox after the deed is done. With a sigh she exited the bathrooms and headed for the elevator.

 

Less then ten minutes later Jace stood in Reeve's office, swaying slightly. He bet that she was hoping he would just fire her, so she could go home and go back to sleep. Reeve motioned for her to sit down and watched intently as Jace shuffled forward and dropped into the chair in front of his desk, noting her pallor and bleary eyes. A night with the Turks would do that he thought wryly. It was a tribute to her stamina that she came to work at all. He had been forced to call in a few mornings back in the days when he had the time and the stomach to drink with Reno and Rude.

 

Reeve's lips curved upward a bit. This morning's little show had been unexpected. Reeve had been confused, then worried and finally amused. He knew Reno had settled down a lot in the past few years and that the redhead was very interested in Yuffie. Still, Reeve's first reaction was to worry about his employee. Hanging out with the Turks was a bit of dangerous proposition even if they didn't mean you any harm. Turks, Reno especially, attracted trouble and had trouble saying no to another drink, another dare, another chance to play for keeps.

 

His smile widened as he watched Ms. Guerin sink even further into her chair. She had pulled her hood forward so far that he could only see her mouth and she seemed to be resisting the impulse to just curl up in the chair entirely. He looked down at the file on his desk; he'd had it printed as soon as he'd made it back to his office. Reeve remembered seeing Ms. Guerin at the annual company party and the bi-monthly meetings he had with her department, but he wanted to know a bit more before speaking to her.

 

Jacinta Guerin. Twenty six years old. Daughter of Meli Cabot and Corbin Guerin, both deceased. Corbin Guerin had been a SOLDIER. Reeve's eyebrow had quirked at that. Ms. Guerin didn't show any signs of Mako or Jenova cell exposure. She must have been conceived before her father entered the SOLDIER program, a bit of a feat considering the fact that SOLDIER recruits had entered the program no later then sixteen. Reeve tucked that bit of information away as being odd but didn't see any reason to mention it now. There were a few more pages in the folder devoted to general employment records and performance reviews, all of which were favorable.

 

“Ms. Guerin?” Reeve deliberately pitched his voice low. He watched as she slowly straightened and pushed back her hood until she could see him. She focused pained but alert brown eyes on him. “Ms. Guerin,” Reeve began. “I try to make sure that every employee of the World Restoration Organization feels that this is a good place to work. I am a firm believer in… what was it you called it? Inter-departmental cooperation. However, I will not stand for anyone to be taken… advantage of in the course of that cooperation. I want to be sure that you have not, at any point, been treated in any way you're uncomfortable with.” The last sentence carried the full weight of conviction. Reeve wasn't going to have any employee of his abused if he could prevent it. It might be too late for prevention in this woman's case, but if so he wanted to know now so that he could demand retribution on her behalf. Ms. Guerin sighed but sat up straight. She pushed her hood completely off her head and looked him in the eye.

 

“Reno and Rude were better behaved then I had any right to expect, sir. They were… well you could say they acted like gentlemen as much as, if not more then I acted a lady. I sincerely hope that you don't think ill of them or of me.”

 

Reeve smiled. “I don't think ill of you at all. I simply wanted to be sure that you were all right. I'm pleased to hear that you had fun with Reno and Rude. They're not completely tame but I like to think of them as friends. All proper behavior aside, I see they still know how to wear a body out. May I congratulate you on making it in this morning?” Reeve rose as he spoke and headed for his window. With a flick of his wrist, window coverings flew open. Ever since the defeat of the Shinentai, there had been an increasing number of sunny days and this morning was one of the brightest. Reeve heard a pained squeak and turned to see that Ms. Guerin had pulled her hood back over her head and was hunching over in her chair.

 

“I trust,” Reeve said, humor clear in his tone, “That you'll restrict these sorts of activities to nights when you have the next day off. You may go, Ms. Guerin.” He moved around his office, opening all the blinds and filling the room with bright light, keeping one eye on the groaning figure in the chair. He half wondered if she would crawl under his desk.

Finally Ms. Guerin nodded as she slowly rose. She shuffled to the door, paused in front of it and slowly turned.

 

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

 

Was that a trace of amusement in her voice? Reeve hoped so; he did like a good sport. “Go ahead Ms. Guerin.”

 

“You're the devil incarnate, sir.”

 

“I'm flattered that you think so, Ms. Guerin.”

Another nod and Ms. Guerin opened his office door and escaped into the outer office. Before the door closed behind her, he heard another pained squeak. Reeve grinned widely. He'd told his secretary to open the shades in the front office only after Ms. Guerin had arrived for their meeting. Reeve went back to his desk feeling better about the day.

 

Jace headed back to her desk at a pace that could best be described as glacial. The meeting with Reeve had gone better than expected, in that she still had a job and her hunch that Reeve had been angry for her and not at her had been confirmed. On the other hand, Reeve's decision to teach her a lesson had led to the vicious resurgence of her headache… but that was her own fault. Reeve was definitely the fatherly type. He'd made sure she would remember his message without doing any lasting damage. Jace couldn't help but like him.

 

In the fullness of time she made it back to her work area, and grabbed her mug off her desk, intent on making yet another cup of tea and then hiding for the rest of the day. She turned and found herself facing a cold faced young Wutain woman. Jace blinked and then her eyes widened in recognition. So this was Yuffie Kisaragi, heir to Wutai, savior of the planet, ninja and Reno's long standing love interest.

 

The two women sized each other up. Jace couldn't be sure what Ms. Kisaragi was seeing, but Jace saw a rather pretty young woman who probably looked much better when she smiled. She had seen Ms. Kisaragi before; after all, the ninja worked for the intelligence department of the W.R.O. Still, it was a bit of a shock to be standing not a foot away from the legend herself. Jace had somehow thought the other woman would be taller but in fact, she had a good six inches on her. Not that that will help if she comes after me, Jace thought wryly. Even if I wasn't hung over, tired and out of practice she could still beat me eight ways from Sunday.

 

The very thought of the pounding Yuffie could deliver caused Jace's headache to flare and her stomach to roil. She sighed and slowly moved around Yuffie, hoping to get another cuppa made before she was mercilessly destroyed. Without looking back, she knew that Yuffie was following her. Jace headed into the break room, prepared a cup of tea and put it in the microwave. She turned to face Yuffie, who was leaning against the opposite counter with her arms crossed.

 

“Tea?” Jace asked calmly. No use not being polite. Yuffie shook her head slowly. The ninja appeared much less hostile now; in fact, her expression could best be described as contemplative. Jace was glad for that much at least. Maybe she'd get out of this without broken ribs. The gossip mill must have worked over time to bring the news of this morning's entrance to Yuffie in the worst light possible, so she decided on the direct approach.

 

“I didn't sleep with Reno.”

 

Yuffie seemed to consider this. Finally she nodded and responded with a short query. “Rude?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Yuffie nodded again. The microwave dinged and Jace retrieved her tea. The ninja's next question was delivered in an eminently civil tone.

 

“Not even once?”

 

Jace's response was less polished but very sincere. “Nope.”

 

“No other activities?”

 

“Nothing sexual. My memory's pretty much returned and I don't remember even getting to first base. He kept talking about how much he loved the color purple.” Jace took a sip of her tea and fished in her pocket for the painkillers she'd grabbed that morning. She located them and tossed them down. When she glanced at Yuffie the other woman's face was still fairly calm but her lavender eyes sparked. Jace smiled a little, and cautiously relaxed. Her tongue chose that moment to slip its leash. “Yeah, the furthest we got was braiding each other's hair in our underwear. You know, back when I had hair.” Jace almost dropped her cup. Had that come out of her mouth? Stupid lack of filters when hung-over! Jace winced as Yuffie's face hardened.

 

“Underwear?” Who knew such a short cute girl could sound so stone cold nasty? Jace scrambled to rectify the situation.

 

“Not like you're thinking… Look, we were three drunks in an apartment with no air conditioning during a Midgar summer. We'd had the stove on for a while too because we were making pancakes and maybe the oven as well…” Now that Jace was thinking about it, she faintly remembered turning on the oven to make cookies. Huh, hope someone did something about that… “Anyway, that's how I ended up bald. I was hot even in my underwear and I thought it would be cooler if I didn't have any hair… I'm surprised all three of us stayed in the bathroom long enough to get my head shaved. It was way too hot to touch anyone for an extended period of time and my bathroom isn't exactly spacious. Reno nearly took a header into my tub.” Jace watched Yuffie closely and was surprised to see a slow smile bloom on the ninja's face. She was amused. Oh thank the Planet, Yuffie believed her. She released a relieved sigh and took another sip of tea.

 

“Soooo…” Yuffie seemed a much more approachable now. “Are you… interested?”

 

Jace grinned. “In shaving him bald.”

 

Yuffie exhaled lightly and smiled again. “That won't work for Rude.”

 

“I'll get creative.” Jace wasn't entirely sure that she would be able to come up with a good enough payback for Reno and Rude but she was certainly going to try.

 

“Well, if you need some ideas,” Yuffie said as she pushed away from the counter. “You let me know. I'd be happy to help.” The two shared a look of understanding. Jace sighed again with relief as the petite ninja headed for the door. Yuffie paused and turned back to look at Jace. “On second thought, don't mess with the hair.”

 

Jace made a small salute and Yuffie sauntered off. Ah yes, she thought, détente is a beautiful thing…

 

In the next few months Jace found herself dealing with a sudden social life. Her co-workers hadn't really paid attention to her before, but now that she had hung out with Turks she was a hot property. Invitations to parties rolled in and Jace decided to use the opportunity to get out more. She'd been hiding too long behind stacks of paper and a quiet demeanor. The night with Reno and Rude reminded her of some of the more amusing escapades from her past. Jace never again got as drunk as she had with the Turks, but she otherwise she enjoyed herself to the fullest. She didn't know it, but after the first few invitations were extended out of curiosity, she was invited because she was genuinely becoming popular in her own right.

 

I have a prank in mind for poor Reno but nothing for Rude. Suggestions would be very much appreciated. For the record the prank chosen wouldn't be in the next chapter but it would be used. Actually if I get several good ideas I'll write in several pranks. Please review!